Wall and floor construction.



L. TAUSSIG. WALL AND FLOOR CONSTRUCTION APPLICATION FILED APR. 28. 1915.

Patenta& May 16, 1916.

2 SHEETS SHEET I lil/MENTOR Af!? /USS/G /WTOHIl/EVS Patented May 16, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

L. TAUSSIG. WALL AND FLOOR CONSTRUCTIONI.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28. 1915.

l//TVESSES G mm MM Wu mm .MM m w m I io a a in,

LEO TAUSSIG, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

WALL AND FLUOR CONSTRUCTTON 11,183Allltl.

Specificaton of Letters Patent.

Patented May tt, rain.,

Application filed April 23, 1915. Serial No. 24,388.

35 York, have invented certain new and useful Improvenents in Wall and Floor Construction, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to inprovements in the Construction of walls and fioors for buildings and is particularly adapted to the Construction of dwelling houses and business edifices of moderate size. i

i More especially my invention has to do with the use of building blocks, preferably of concrete, for the Construction of walls and floors as aforesaid; and with a skeleton frame work on which such blocks may be hung andsupported. i

The object of my invention is to provide an improved wall and floor construction which shall be strong, durable, easy to erect and reasonable in cost.

A further object of my invention is to provide a wall and floor Construction as aforosaid which will have a suitable and permanent exterior finish and an interier finish which may be readily treated with plaster in the usual way, which shall be a good heat insulator so that the building shall be cool in summer and warm in Winter, and which shall be reasonably sound proof.,

A further object of my invention is to provide a wall construction as aforesaid which shall be permanently waterproof so that the building may be always free from dampness.

My invention includes a special form of hollow building block which is light and easy to construct and which provides continuous passages in the finished wall or floor for the circulation of air.

Other objects of my invention will appear as the specification proceeds My invention will be better understood by referrng to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 represents an elevation of part of a wall constructed according to my inven tion; Fig. 2 represents a plan View of lFig. 1; Fig. 3 represents a section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4: is an enlarged prospective view of one of the blocks shown in Figs. 1 to 3; Fig. 5 is a plan View of part of a floor constructed according'to my invention; Figs. 6 and 7 are sections taken along the lines 6-6 and 7-7 respectively of Fig. 5; and Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspectve View of the block, shown in lFigs. 5 to 7, which I* prefer for-floor construction.

Referring to the drawings, Figs. 1 to 4%, my improved building blocks are preferably rectangular, longer than they are high, and comprise parallel outer and inner shell portions 2 and 3 suitably spaced apart but oined together by vertical ribs 4: so arranged as to provide a pair of horizontally elongated Vertical air channels 5 separated by a narrower central channel 6. The inner wall 3 is formed with a Vertical slit 7, narrower than, but opening into, this channel 6. The ribs 4 are set back from the ends of the block and stop ofi sufliciently short of its top and bottom to provide vertical channels 8 at each end and horizontal channels 9 at top and bottom of the block. The outer shell portion 2 has a slab of fine grained concrete 10. attached to it by dovetailed lugs 11 and separated from it by a waterproof coating of asphalt or the like 1'2.

Tn making my improved block the slab 10 with its lugs 11 is first molded in the usual way. When it is thoroughly hard and dry,

'its inner side is thoroughly coated with some good waterproofing material such as asphalt as-at 12. The slab is then laid in another suitable mold and the coarser concrete, which is to constitute the remainder of the block is cast upon it. This will result in the completed block shown in Fig. 4.

In building up a wall with my improved blocks ll proceed as follows: I first lay the lower 'course-*of blocks A so that the ends of outer and inner wall portions abut as at 13; a little mortar or other suitable cement should be interposed. Vertical reintorcing rods 14 are then placed in the central channels 6 and in the end channels 8. All these channels 6 and 8 are then filled with cement, stop boards 15 having first been tacked across channels 5 to prevent excess cement from flowing therein and other stop boards 16 being placed across the openings of channel 6 to retain the cement in positionsuitable holes 16' may be castin the blocks when they are molded and expansion bolts or the like set in these holes to hold said stop boards 16. Horizontal reinforcing rods 17 arelaid in the top channels 9 and a second course of blocks B is laid upon the top of the first course, cement, again being placed between the Contacting ends of the inner the weight of the wall of the blocks themselves is relied upon for' and -outer shell portions. The blocks of the second course are staggered with reference to the blocks of the first course, e., the ends of the blocks of the second course cor- 'espond with the Centers of the blocks of the first course. Cement is then poured into vertical channels (i and 8 at the top of the second course as before; this cement will not only fill these channels but will run out laterally between the courses so as to fill the horizontal channels 9 and completely sur- .-ound the horizontal reinforcing rods 17.

pied by the entire remainder of the block or, at least, should not have substantially less than this proportionate dimension. The

number and character of the reinforcing rods for an individual channel may be varied in accordance with the size and character of the building. Preferably, three or four round straight rods may be employed.

Walls of concrete or cement blocks having a system of rectangularly disposed rods, coated with concrete or cement, run through them, are not new. In such walls, however, the rods are relatively light and are used singly. The frame work constituted by the rods is, therefore, light and flexible; it strengthens the wall but does not make it rigid. In such walls, furthermore, the frame work has little to do with supporting and the resistance this.

In the wall of my invention, as above described, I have, essentially, a plurality of vertical reinforced concrete pillars tied together by horizontal beams, the whole constituting a frame of great rigidity. Upon this frame the individual blocks are hung much as are hung the facing blocks on the frame work of a modern structural steel building. The blocks do not sustain the weight of the courses above them but the weight of each block is carried by the vertical pillars which, being of reinforced concrete, have qualities.

'The use of my improved building block results, as will be noted, in a concrete wall structure having reinforced concrete pillars (or beams) alternating -with air spaces or channels; preferably, the ribs 4: should be great compression resisting ture. The finishing so dimensioned as to make the cross section of the air spaces, in the finished wall, about twice that of the rejnforced concrete 'pillar (or beam) which lies betweenthem. By making the i'nner shell portion 3 eXtend outwardly beyond the ribs et, both laterally and endwise, each block in the finished wall is locked fast, as by a dovetailed joint upon the pillars and beams. Each stop board 15 should have a central hole in 'which is inserted a short section of pipe 18 before' pouring the cement into the vertical channels. This may be withdrawn as soon as the cement has set slightly and before the next course of blocks is laid. The vertical continuity of the air spaces 5 is thus preserved.

The building may be heated by connecting hot air ducts with some or all of the vertical channels and providing suitable exit ducts at the top thereof. Similarly steam or hot water heating pipes may be run through these channels. And electric light and telephone wires, gas pipes, or any other types of energy distributing conduits, may also be carried through the channels and may be readily introduced at will, at any time after the building is completed, by merely breaking into the channels from the i'nside and passing the wires or pipes therethrough to the desi'ed extent. When the walls are completed the stop boards 16 may be removed, when the entire interior surface of the wall will be found smooth and flat so that plaster may be laid directly thereupon.

In constructing a floor according to my invention (Figs. 5 to 8) I modify the building block 1 of F ig. 4 by cutting away a strip from each edge of the inner shell or wall portion as indicated by the dotted lines 19. I also shape each of such edges so as to taper outwardly toward the channel space to which they are adjacent. In laying the floor I arrange a suitable false work (not shown) in the usual Way and lay the blocks 1' in rows thereupon, inner shell portion up, the successive rows being staggered with reference to one another just as are the successive courses in the wall Construction. By reason of the portions which have been cut away from the uppesurface the system of channels is completely open so that I may place the reinforcing rods 14', 17', a

therein and pour cement into the channels 6', 8', 9', from the top, By reason of the overhanging tapered edgesof the upper (inner) shell portion the blocks' will be firmly locked upon the system of rectangularly disposed beams which will be constituted by the reinforcing rods and the poured cement so that, when the false work is removed, the floor will be an integral strucslab 10 and waterproof coating 12 may, of course, be omtted in the floor Construction, if desired; and, as in mesme portions united by two pairs of spaced verp tical ribs, the distance between the members of a pair being relatively substantially greater than the distance between the pairs the outer faces of the outermost ribs an the ends of all the ribs being distanced from the edges of the shell portions so as to provide channels at the ends, top and bottom of the block, and a net Work of vertical and horizontal nterlocked beams of reinforced concrete occupying said Channels.

2. In combination, a building block comprising spaced' arallel outer and inner shell portions united by two pairs of spaced .vertical ribs, the distance between the members of a pair being relatively substantially greater than the distance between the pairs, there being a slit provided in the inner shell between the pairs, the outer faces of the outer-most ribs, the inner faces of the innermost ribs, and the ends of all the ribs being distanced from the edges of the shell portions and of the slit so as to provide channels at the ends, top and bottom, and center of the block, and a net work of vertical and horizontal interlocked beams of reintorced concrete 'occupying said Channels.

3. Jin combination, a building block comprising spaced parallel outer and inner shell portions united by two pairs of spaced vertical ribs, the distance between the members of a pair being relatively substantially greater than the distance between the pairs, there being a slit provided in the inner shell between the pairs, the outer faces of the outermost ribs, the inner faces of the innermost ribs, and the ends of all the ribs being distanced from the edges of the 'shell 'portions and of the slit so' as to provide channels at the ends, top and bottom, and center of the block, the combined dimensions of all the channels, taken transversely of the ribs, being substantially the same as the corresponding dimension between the members of a pair of 'ribs, and a net work of vertical and horizontal interlocked beams of reinforced concrete occupying said Channels.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- LEO TAUSSIG. witnesses:

ELMER Gr. WILLYOUNG, GFDRGE DU BON. 

